Exploring the antimicrobial and antioxidant propensity of copper oxide nanoparticles against some selected clinical microbes

Recent developments in various interventions, aimed solely at the reduction of the increasing danger of multidrug resistance (MDR), this have warranted the search for new compounds with antimicrobial activity which could serve as cheap alternative to antibiotics production. Amongst these, metal oxide nanoparticles have been reported as relevant materials. This study investigated the synthesis and characterization of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO Nps against some clinical microorganisms). The structural and morphological properties of the nanoparticles were thoroughly examined using advanced techniques such as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). These methods provided comprehensive information of the nanoparticles' particle size, shape, and crystalline structure. Also, the antimicrobial and the antioxidant properties of the nanoparticles were tested against a range of microorganisms. Ten microorganisms [Klebsiella ornithinolytica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Aeromonas hydrophila, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecalis (bacteria), Candida albicans, Geotrichum candidum (fungi)] were employed. The antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated by determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) for each microorganism. The results revealed that all the test organisms were susceptible to the nanoparticles, which is an indication of the strong antimicrobial potential. The CuO Nps had the highest zone of inhibition against Klebsiella ornithinolytica (24.00 mm) and 19.00 mm was the least value against Streptococcus faecalis and Candida albicans. Also, the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited significant antioxidant activity. This suggests copper oxide nanoparticles could be effective antimicrobial agents, especially when addressing antibiotic resistance problem, thus, this study warrant further investigation in nanomedicine and antibacterial treatment development.